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The Ledgers of Baldr: 4E472
Actions: Ashelani: From the ash wastes beyond the rift, a mysterious artifact is recovered. The strange metal machine is shaped like a giant sphere, and a multitude of ancient glyphs and corroded wiring cover its insides. The hollow, house-sized object has no discernible use, but Queen Scholus is filled with anticipation upon the drone's first sightings of it. Considered too delicate to be transported by chute worm, a research hive is constructed around it. The tall, rosined walls are raised within a day of its discovery, and Queen Scholus diverts all of her attention to the delicate process of the drones' investigation. (ash waste tech research 1) In the meantime, Queen Torol feels the time was right to have the Ashelani sing once more as a united hive and fill the air with the chittering and buzzing that their jungles had been known for. For this purpose, she births Len-Symphon, a quite unusual daughter. Standing only a mere six feet tall, she is towered over by all her sisters, even the drones. Yet her she is unique. Her antennae are incredibly long and sensitive, and segmented all the way down. With them, she conducts the orchestras of drones and warriors her mother has organized. While it was always easy to simply alter the emotions of her audience telepathically, Len-Symphon brings it upon herself to make the songs of the Hive pleasing to the ears of the other races. (culture x2) Finally, the Hivemother commands that greater pastures be found for the plains-dwelling Carcino to support the growth of the Hive in its new lands. The southern hive nodes send scouting drones further south and east to find safe locations for the herds to roam. (expand x1) Mu'lakka It had been nearly a year since Wel'Tar had assumed command of the Grand Mu'lakkan fleet and been placed in charge of the campaign against the Big Island. In the course of the year the campaign had been dubbed many things: the "Sky Siege", "Slow War," and descendants of Reich immigrants had taken to calling it the Sitzkrieg. Many of his top lieutenants had repeatedly urged action, but he hadn't gotten this far by rushing into situations unprepared. Still, morale had been an issue lately and rumor was some of the crews were planning on going on "extended fishing trips" if they were inactive much longer. Never the risk-taker, Wel'Tar ordered the shipyards fired up for the final piece of the warmachine so the rebels could be crushed once and for all. (Raise navy +3 X2, navy tech X2) Stavengar: Dikastis Staurakios is placed at the head of Legio I and IV, who march into the lands of the Ashelani, leaving a trail of death and destruction in his path. Back in Stavengar and Ilion, the call is put out for soldiers to flock to the capital, and 4 more legions are raised by the two Consuls. Legaros: News of Jona's triumphant search for the Big Kahuna finally has reached the ruins of Haven, creating a sudden frenzy of action in the barely functional port facilities. A new design for a fishing net has been proposed, that will nearly double the amount of fish that can be caught at once. (Income 1) Early reports of the Kahuna's immense size and rough shape have caused several prominent shipbuilders to revise their designs in order to incorporate further protection against any other creatures that may be lurking out in the deeps. (Naval Research 2) Meanwhile, with the fishing industry growing in leaps and bounds, coupled with the acquisition of a certain Kahuna, recruitment for the Legaran Navy has reached a fever pitch, leading to two new fleets being built and crewed (Build Navy 3+4) Hall of the Five: "Nice work Gojac." Gojac's head is still pounding from a god-sized dosage of alcohol. He spends a day drinking water and staying in bed. Abbadon and Garma make paper-firebear crossover armies. (1&2: armies) Rucahn and Kellus build ice boats. Once, this would have entailed hours of conversation between the two of them. Now, Kellus's attempts at conversation are met with one-word answers and silence. (3&4: navies) Derult: The Grinner moves silently into GE001's command tent; even so, the Derultian general seems alerted to his presence without looking up from his maps. At last, after one final appraisal of the Derultian coastline, he turns to face his captain. "I have already expressed my satisfaction with your operation of the Rusted Hand. Your work in Legaros was a fine proof of concept, to be sure, but our opponents now are far more dangerous. "I wish to reform the Rusted Hand from an intelligence organization to a legitimate, albeit irregular, fighting corps. You and your best soldiers shall march with the Derultian Army, degrading the opposition with asymmetric warfare. Disrupt their supply lines, kill their generals, burn their hospitals... plant fear in their hearts so that the battle itself is a forgone conclusion." (Military tech x1) (Raise Army x3) Kaz'ur: The Nameless One raps his fingers on the stone table that sits in the center of the ancient council chambers, listening to the Zakatu drone on about wheat production and legarosan impact on trade. He's pretty bored. He freely admits it. His mind is stuck somewhere between thinking about his meeting with the mage, Thaamira, later that day. She'd been the one he'd stolen the sword of the father from, and she'd requested an opportunity to continue the research he'd interrupted. With his new-found understanding of the magic imbued within the sword, he was fairly confident that nothing she could do could actually damage the weapon.(1, +2 to magic research) It is when his eyes chance across Jasura that he is reminded of the true purpose of this council meeting. Having brought the Ashelani into the faith, and decrying that they would guarantee their independence, it was almost assured that official hostilities with Stavengar would soon begin in earnest. And he agreed with her. They needed more troops. The others were more resistant to the idea, but in the end the Shahadash and the Salatim had sided with the two of them. More troops would be raised to oppose the enemies of Kaz'ur. (2-4, Raise armies) Results: The Ashelani Dominion: 8, 4, 11, 23 The purpose of the ancient and massive artifact found inside your territory has even the mind of Queen Scholus puzzled. The sphere is hollow, and on the outside, blotches of melted metal in thin lines can be seen, likely the locations of corroded wires that would have once aided the machine in performing its inscrutable function. Len Symphon, like all her sisters birthed from Queen Torol, is near fanatical in her devotion and fascination with the Brightprince. Lately, though, the song of war has been sung from hive to hive. Your kraken navies move forward to commence the blockade of your southern dwarf neighbors, and Len-Symphon has had to put aside her grand cultural mission for a moment and lead the standing army of the Ashelani south towards the fissure to meet the encroaching dwarfen host. Further from the battle lines that are being drawn, Ashelani scouts manage to easily wrangle the final part of the jungle under your control (+8 income). The Mu’lakka Lands: 12, 12, 20, 6 The war canoes of the Big Islanders can be seen every day departing from the shores, bound north for the soft targets of the lesser Mu’lakkan isles. Your air navies, at long last, are being called in to take deterrent action against the sovereign nation that has for so long been a thorn in the side of your people. Kal’rog himself is angry after learning that the Big Islanders are receiving funds from a number of international backers-- overseas trading companies in Kaz’ur, a number of shady rusted crime gangs in coastal Derult, Ashelani hive cities, and, most infuriatingly, the Five—Mu’lakka’s de facto ally. The Chieftan is going to have a few strong words to say to Kellus when he next arrives for Tuesday brunch. Thanks in large part to the huge amount of state expenditure on drafting up new chartered airships, military output this fiscal year deviates a drastic 50% upward from projected levels. This pleases owners of government naval stock, many of whom have been catapulted to millionaire status seemingly overnight. Fleet Admiral Wel’Tar has moved his ships upward to break the blockade of Stavengar by the Ashelani, an act of war against the insectoid nation. Stavengar: 20, 11, 10, 3 Dikastis Staurakios and his men have secured the bridge over the Eir-I and have made camp along the stony span. “Win the bridge,” he says, “and we win the first engagement.” Heading his two legions into the hostile jungle without waiting for reinforcements from Stavengar would be a foolhardy mission, especially considering that the dwarfs have no knowledge of the size or location of the Ashelani force. The bridge, he laments, is too pivotal a point in the supply line. New bridges are being brought in from storehouses in the capital. These bridges, meant to correspond to exact points on the fissure, were manufactured by rich families two centuries ago, immediately after the end of the Seven Seasons War, in preparation for the re-invasion of the Ashelani lands as soon as the terms of the armistice expired. The stonework bridges are being hauled up the hilly roads of the dwarfen Old Country, adorned with archaic stone glyphs and inscribed with the histories of particularly notable ancestors during the ancient war. Already, the first six have been laid down roughly three miles from the Eir-I, where the second crossing pint will be established. The fortress complex below the feet of Staurakios and his men, as well as the wyrdium housed within, is of vital importance to the Ashelani and is likely crawling with soldier drones. Drilling several feet down through the surface of the bridge would likely be sufficient to penetrate the insectoid research fortress beneath (you may spend a turn action to seize all of the Ashelani wyrdium supply). Legaros: 8, 15, 10, 12 The prototype design for the new fishing net has been scrapped due to lack of materials. Mainland Legaros has grown pretty much uninhabitable due to the Hunger, in fact, it was a miracle that you managed to muster a single navy in the first place (-10 income). The lashes connecting the floating raft fortress of New Haven to the mainland have been severed, and the last of the refugees scramble aboard or follow behind on houseboats linked to the city by towing lines (you have officially lost all income from land, though your fishing industry is still thriving; furthermore, you cannot raise armies or navies until you have resettled a patch of land. You may, however, spend actions to raise navies if New Haven is adjacent to a forest coastal area on the map, even if you own no land and even if this forest land is under someone else’s possession). The two navies in the Legaran fleet right now currently act as satellites for the floating capital, keeping its flanks secure while it is on the move and forming a defensive barrier in front of it when it is at anchor. They are aided in this by the new ironclad hull armor that has been added to the sides of each boat to protect the delicate wood framework beneath from collisions with other ships, floating sections of dock or raft, and the Kahuna’s jaws. The fish has surfaced occasionally to take inquisitive nips at boats in your fleet (+4 navy). The Halls of the Five: 19, 5, 19, 8 Garma, with the help of Abbadon, has managed to rustle together another army of flaming bears and paper men. The actual task of corralling the bears onto the various icebergs and that comprise your navy is one that will be easier said than done (-10 income). Oblivious to these concerns, Kellus has seen fit to Alter a patch of seawater into another proud fleet of icy carrier ships (-10 income). Rucahn has been largely silent, staring up at the large foreign red orb in the sky. Occasionally, some unforeseen development upon the planet’s faraway surface will cause the Inquirer’s brow to wrinkle, and he’ll stop whatever he’s doing to consult his notes on what the future will hold, occasionally nodding and muttering to himself. Kellus knows better than to ask Rucahn what he sees. One time he’d asked Rucahn “What’s going on?” and they hadn’t been able to get him to stop talking for several days; and half the stuff he said was in the form of mathematical equations or riddles. As he raises another ice ship out of the water, Kellus turns around and sees that his old student has a wry smile on his face. Kellus, for a brief moment, regrets not studying Rucahn’s brand of magic more—omniscience seemed like a pretty sweet racket. Derult: 10, 1, 1, 2 Mobilization of the Rusted Hand into a military force is going poorly, especially now that the Five are aware of their presence on Liosa and have been obstructing their operations. Since all the operatives are pretty much Derultians, they are fairly easy to spot and root out of communities. This has also led to widespread prejudice against your kind overseas, even in Mu’lakka and Legaros, the two locales that formerly had been most accepting of Derultian citizens. Disaster, unfortunately, has struck in Irontown once more. If one were to look at the area from afar, it would appear that a glowing white dome of light had enveloped the entire city and outlying manufacturing districts. This dome, in fact, is an area of supercharged air, air that has been inexplicably and instantaneously heated to temperatures of over three thousand degrees. What’s left of Irontown slowly sluices out of what used to be the city walls. Half melted storage facilities and vehicles float downhill like pads of butter heated in a microwave, barely solid masses drifting like islands on a sea of sludgy brown and black liquid metal. The official report from Central speculates that this as the work of “wizards from afar.” The threat level of the Five has been adjusted accordingly, and Central promises its citizens that “reactionary measures are in their planning stages.” (you are no longer able to produce armies or increase your military bonus until new factories have been built). Kaz’ur: 7, 18, 2, 6 Frankly unsure as to his role in world affairs, the Nameless One has withdrawn from the Zakatu’s earnest tutelage and has taken to spending more and more time with Thaamira. Little progress is made on unraveling the mysteries of the ancient stone sword once wielded by her father, the great Abdid ibn-al Walid. If the mage didn’t know any better, he’d say that his presence was actually dampening the sword’s abilities. The extent of his newfound powers also scares him somewhat, and he finds that they have suppressed his casting abilities entirely. Given, though, before he was picked by the Pattern, he only had a few spells in his repertoire, most of which were not that useful. Frighteningly, though, he has lost the ability to read—every time he views a piece of writ, the letters transform themselves into concentric and illegible patterns before his very eyes. He has managed to hide this from the Ashik council members so far, but he doubts that he can keep the charade going forever. Meanwhile, a single army of goat riders has been raised to fight the dwarfs and honor the old alliance with the Ashelani. In the two hundred years since the War for Dwarfen Ale, Ashik military technology and tactics have remained relatively the same—a highly mobile core of mountain goat riders skilled in ambush as well as in direct assault, but less useful in a prolonged campaign far away from the homeland (-10 income). Category:The Ledgers of Baldr